Monthly Archives: December 2015

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For those who aren’t heavily invested in the world of watches, it is very common to hear about the “bread and butter” of the vintage category, namely, the Replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust. It is a series of watches spanning decades, and, from its first year of mass manufacturing in 1945 to the 2012 production of the Datejust II and even newer models today, the piece has commanded the everyday wrist-love of thousands, if not millions, of watch aficionados and normal, sane people alike.

Today, the Datejust combines the continued tradition of being a classic staple watch, with the modern demands that arise from being a mainstay of one of the world’s most recognizable brands. As such, the modern series endures an amalgam of critiques and praise from the opinions of “Vintage Eyed” types such as myself, along with the mostly sustained love of luxury consumers searching for a specific color combination in a good-looking watch.

vintage replica rolex datejust

The first piece we are going to cover this week is from the classic Rolex Datejust 36 collection, (“36” for 36-mm case), the Reference 116234 (below). While this reference covers a majority of the variations within the modern series, the specific piece we will look at is a rather attractive blue, sunburst-dialed watch.

As I mentioned before, the fake watches uk measures 36 mm in diameter in a steel-and-white-gold case housing inside Rolex’s in-house automatic Caliber 3135. It has a sunburst blue dial with applied white gold Roman numerals for hour markers (the descendant of what is often called a “Buckley” dial in the vintage realm), a date window with accompanying familiar cyclops lens for the 3 o‘clock date display, and the iconic Rolex crown logo, also applied, in white gold at the 12 o’clock mark. Some other distinctly “Rolex” features to notice are the fluted bezel; the faint, repeating corporate logo on the outermost section of the dial; the jubilee bracelet; and the solid caseback protecting the movement. The Datejust 36 series begins around $5,000 for all-steel models, but can reach much higher depending on level of bling, rarity, and materials used.

Replica Rolex Datejust UK

This particular reference does a good job of respecting its vintage forebears — with the Buckley-esque hour markers, jubilee bracelet, and solid caseback, it reminds me very much of the Reference 1601 and 1603 Datejusts that I come into contact with on a regular basis. But at its heart, this watch is neither of these vintage references, nor is it one of the original pieces from the 1940s. The Roman numeral hour markers are applied instead of printed, the hands lack a historically featured luminescence, and the lugs have become much more pronounced on the modern piece. The watch, while it clearly is a part of the distinct Datejust bloodline, also has many of its own modern flairs.

The only overt issue I take with the piece is its price relative to the vintage models; vintage Rolex Datejusts are very popular in that market because they are first, relatively accessible and second, incredibly good-looking — very much “bang for your buck.” As this is the case, it is unsurprising to me that so many Rolex lovers are being drawn into the world of vintage watches; if I could have a mint-condition, pre-owned Datejust for potentially half the price of a new, modern one, it seems odd to me to pay more for contemporary features (such as the engraved, outer repeating “ROLEX,” as seen below) that I might not necessarily desire. Even armed with this knowledge, however, it’s still unlikely that consumers will be drawn en masse toward vintage options; of course, Rolex knows this and updates its new watches accordingly — perhaps even enough to urge some of those “vintage guys” to purchase modern pieces.

The next piece we will cover this week is from the Datejust II collection, the Reference 116300 (below). This replica watches has a 41-mm steel case with, again, a solid caseback; within resides the slightly larger automatic Caliber 3136 movement. On the rhodium-plated dial there are nontraditional, applied, white gold Arabic numerals with blue accents; the iconic Rolex crown logo and Datejust date window; and a luminescence applied to the hour and minute hands. This piece also uses an outer minute ring on the dial with corresponding Arabic numerals at each hour, a smooth bezel, and once again the engraved, repeating corporate logo on the outermost section of the dial. It is worth noting that all watches within the Datejust II spectrum use the Oyster bracelet instead of the traditional Datejust jubilee. This particular piece is priced around $6,000.

white gold Replica Rolex Datejust

Comparing it to the modern Datejust 36 and vintage references, this watch is still clearly recognizable as part of the broader Datejust series of watches. From its crown, to the applied logo, to its date indicator, to the cool homage of luminescence applied to the hour and minute hands, this watch is still undoubtedly a Rolex. However, there are a number of features on this watch that clearly separate it from historical variations on the original, and clearly define it as a part of the new “Datejust II” collection. Obviously, this starts with the piece being 41 mm in diameter instead of the long cherished 36-mm, a choice undoubtedly made to give the watch modern relevance and appeal. Some other distinct features include the option of only the oyster bracelet instead of the jubilee (the jubilee bracelet was originally produced in 1945, specifically to accompany the Datejust), the rounded rather than fluted bezel, and the unusual application of Arabic numerals (as seen below) for hour markers.

I will be honest: I chose this particular piece to cover as it was the most un-ordinary Datejust II combination I could find. I wanted to highlight the distinctions between how far the series has come, both from historical references of the watch and from the still-in-production Datejust 36. This piece is emblematic of the expansive color options available to consumers of both the Datejust II and 36 series of watches, and while this is exciting for those who want a very distinct and individualized Rolex piece for themselves, it also draws criticism for Rolex by purists who see it as pandering to a potentially less historically informed consumer.

There exists in the modern Rolex Replica Datejust collections a watch for just about anyone’s taste, but not everyone agrees this is for the best. Of course, Rolex is doing whatever it can to attract more people into its world of luxury, but this also may alienate many who are either deeply knowledgeable or invested into the intricacies of the watches. While today there is a variety of color combinations that do appeal to watch aficionados like myself, I am also aware of often less expensive alternatives in the vintage world. And while these color combinations guarantee appeal to a much wider base of luxury buyers, especially in a market of Hublot Big Bangs and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshores, these variations are somewhat divisive to purist appreciators of the Datejust lineage. I suppose, in the end, it really comes down to what kind of “Rolex Guy” you might be. For my part, I love that vintage Rolex Replica Datejusts are still regarded (as stated above) as the “bread and butter” of luxury Rolex replica watches — a distinction I very much hope modern Replica Rolex Datejusts will one day also be able to enjoy.

New Breitling replica Exospace B55 Connected watches for the first time to hand on.

It was during Baselworld 2015 that we originally debuted Breitling’s then-prototype connected device, the Breitling B55 Connected Replica Watch. Several short months later, Breitling has modified the original concept in some noticeable ways, and allowed us to be among the first to go hands-on with the finalized version ready to hit the stores. We are here to tell you all that we have learned about the exact specifics and the hidden functionalities of this high-tech blend of quartz timekeeping and wireless connectivity.

The Breitling Replica Exospace B55 Connected watch runs on a “SuperQuartz” movement – which we’ll get into later on – and is designed more as a connected timepiece, than a straightforward smart watch. Connected versus smart watch – what’s that all about? Well, these are relatively new categories and you must not feel bad if you are still confused by them. A smartwatch, like the Apple Watch or the TAG Heuer Connected use a large digital screen in lieu of analog hands to display detailed information and complex screens. A connected mens replica watches, on the other hand, communicates with your phone, sending and receiving data including notifications, health tracking and, as we’ll see in case of the Breitling Exospace B55, to enable you to control your watch using an app on your phone – but it remains primarily a watch more than a computer.

Breitling Exospace B55 Connected Replica UK

So how does the Breitling Exospace B55 Connected fit into the picture? The Breitling Exospace B55 Connected watch is an evolution of the Breitling Cockpit B50, and it runs on a super nerdy and indeed genuinely impressive, in-house made, high-tech “SuperQuartz” movement by Breitling that you can learn all about. The “SuperQuartz” inside the B50 and B55 allows for an analogue display of the time and two additional displays on the dial, and is powered by a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery. The Breitling Exospace B55 Connected carries all this and tries to take it to the next level by connecting this already pretty smart watch to your smartphone for added levels of functionality.

At the launch of the watch, we were shown demos of the watch and its connectivity by Breitling Vice-President Jean-Paul Girardin. As Girardin demos some of the functions of the watch – including my favorite, which is the dual time zone setting allowing you to swap the watch’s time back and forth between two time zones with a touch of a button – it is clear that the company’s engineers had travelers and, of course, pilots in mind. I appreciate the simplicity and, to quote Girardin, “it is pure logic to use the new Bluetooth connected technology to improve the user-friendliness and, of course, functionality of the product.”

Speaking of pilots, also on-site for the launch festivities was Breitling brand ambassador and former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly whose personal excitement for the new replica watches was palpable. Interestingly, his favorite feature of the watch was actually the “Tilt Function” dial backlight which he explained was extremely useful particularly for fighter pilots and other members of the armed forces. The way it works is that the wearer can activate the backlight with a quick tip of the wrist down past 35 degrees.

“Being able to check the time without fumbling around for a light in a dark cockpit and taking your hands off of the controls is key,” says Kelly. “Also for fighter pilots, being able to read the time clearly and at any given moment goes way beyond the need to know what time it is, but rather is helpful to calculate distances and range in critical situations. Having a watch that can help make that process easier and faster is very important.”

Both men see this new foray into the smart watch game a key move for Breitling who has historic ties to the advancement of aviation technology in mechanical wristwatches. In addition to the new in-house-made SuperQuartz movement, the app itself was also developed in-house at their manufacture in Switzerland.

The full list of features is of course much longer, as it includes: the Breitling Caliber B55 in-house made, COSC certified, thermocompensated SuperQuartz movement; analog and two backlit digital time indications including a second time zone display that can be swapped with the hands by the press of a button; perpetual calendar with week display; 7 daily alarms; 1/100th of a second chronograph; Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); Countdown/Countup (or MET Mission Elapsed Time); flight time chronograph; lap timer chronograph; electronic tachymeter; battery change indicator.

In terms of watch design, the new Breitling replica connected watches features a large 46mm titanium case water resistant to 100m/330ft, with a uni-directional bezel and a front sapphire crystal with anti reflective treatment on both sides. The first thing you notice besides the bright sky blue rubber strap is that the piece is surprisingly light and sleek for such a physically big watch. As a woman, my wrist is of course proportionately smaller, so even though the watch expectedly dwarfs my wrist, it is actually quite comfortable and easily wears like a smaller watch. Looking closely, it seems that the reason is that the lugs are also proportionately shorter in contrast to many large 41mm-plus watches – hence, even though the dial is large, it could reasonably fit on more wrists than others of the same diameter.

The dial features two digital, backlit displays as well as a set of centrally mounted analogue hands – a strong point of the design carried on from the B50 is that the two don’t compete with each other for the attention of the eye. Since the Basel demo piece, Breitling did a good job changing and cleaning up the face of the watch, with the dial losing the WiFi logo and the bezel now featuring the numbers in a tonal etching rather than the previous white numbering. The result is a sleeker design without sacrificing legibility. The bottom digital window displays the time and the top window provides smart technology notifications synced to your phone via bluetooth such as incoming email and caller ID notifications.

In addition to email/text/call/appointment notifications via the bluetooth sync, the watch also features 7 alarms with various ringtones or vibrating settings for additional notifications. All parts of the analog display can be controlled and managed by the app making a time zone switchback, global time sync adjustment, visual modes, or chronograph stopwatch function a seamless one-button process. Both Jean-Paul and Mark tell me that the goal was to be able to make the functions of a complicated mechanical watch more accessible to everyone without having to break out a long manual.

The traditional chronograph function is also updated by the new connected technology in that timing data can be controlled and even stored by the watch and later synced to the app to be reviewed. The new functionality of the Breitling Exospace B55 Connected in its totality is a complete data management system of various measurements such as flight times, recording up to 50 split time events, lap times, electronic tachymeter, etc., and the developers even took it one step further in programming in the ability to export and share a fully formatted excel file of the data with the push of a button.

True to the brand’s heritage as a maker of aviation instruments, the luxury replica watches is able to record “Block and Time” or Mission Elapsed Time functions – the specific ability to use the watch’s count-up/countdown chronograph to record a mission from taxi to touchdown, eliminating the need for pilots to manually log the details of a flight report.

So, again, what powers all this high-tech watchnerdism? Called the Caliber B55, the movement inside the new Breitling Exospace B55 Connected runs off of a rechargeable battery that I’m told lasts about a month-and-a-half with regular use before needing to be recharged. As noted above, the base movement is shared with the Breitling Cockpit B50, and it is what they are calling their SuperQuartz ultra-accurate movement. It is not only COSC certified but also thermocompensated, meaning that it can adjust according to external temperatures, allowing the quartz regulator to be more accurate, resulting in the movement to be accurate to just a few seconds per year.

What I find interesting about the concept of this smart watch is that unlike other “smart watches” trying to replicate phone or computer technology in a watch, Breitling has instead chosen to focus on enhancing the organic and most natural functions of a wristwatch which is to tell and measure perfect time. Instead of trying to create wrist computers that just happen to tell the time, the Breitling Exospace B55 Connected is at its core a true timing instrument – which may just render it one of the few smart/connected watches to peak the interest of fans of traditional horology.

Breitling is positioning the Breitling Exospace B55 Connected replica watch more as a connected version of the B50 Cockpit than a standalone smart watch or connected device. This means that unlike the TAG Heuer Connected watch, say, it is a replica watches for men that can theoretically stand on its own even if you choose not to utilize the connected features. It’s interesting, then, that the price premium for the Breitling Exospace B55 over the Breitling B50 Cockpit (which has a price of about $6,600) is within a couple hundred dollars of the $1,500 TAG Heuer Connected.